Breed Search Results

Post Search Results

Science Says These Are The Best Pets. Do You Agree?

Written By Amica Graber

Apr 5, 2017

Quick reader poll! What’s the best pet? Okay, okay … we have a vote for “dog.” Another dog. Dog. Dog. Dragon? I’ll take it. And five more “dog” votes over there. Counted!

Well, according to me and everyone else likely to read this article, the best pets are dogs. IT HAS TO BE DOGS. Four stumpers, tummy rubs, undivided loyalty, and they lick your tears away. Straight off your face! It’s amazing! And they have such fun personalities. Some dogs are like, “I’m a queen! Pet me!”

And other dogs are like, “I’m hard, so don’t test me. Unless you want to test me with cuddles, then let the cuddles commence.”

Really, there’s a different dog breed for every type of personality (just try our breed selector tool to find out what yours is).

BUT — and oh yes, there’s a caveat — according to scientists, A DOG IS NOT THE BEST PET.

Best Pets: The Background Stuff

A team of scientists from Wageningen University in the Netherlands decided to research which animals are actually best suited for human companionship, based on the following criteria:

Space: How much space does this animal need?

Time: Does the animal prefer nighttime or daytime?

Metabolism: How often do they need to urinate or poop? How much and what kind of food do they need?

Shelter: Do they prefer to live indoors or outdoors?

Sex: What are the animal’s reproductive needs?

Care: Can this animal groom themselves? Are they high maintenance? Are they stinky and happy, and therefore not a great fit with humans?

Biosocial: Is this a pack animal that will be happy with just humans? Are they naturally aggressive? Do they prefer to hunt rather than be fed?

If you’d like to read the whole study, you can find it online in the animal behavior and welfare journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science. This study doesn’t include cats or dogs, which may seem strange until you discover the reasoning behind it: there’s a growing trend of owning exotic pets in the Netherlands!

While these may be the best pets for those with exotic tastes, we’ll stick to Fido and Mr. Mittens over a squirrel or a wallaby. With all of that in mind, which animals are actually our ideal pets?

24. White-Nosed Coati

The White-Nosed Coati has the personality mix of a racoon, a dog, and a monkey. The Coati might follow you around and pull on your pants until you give them due attention. They’re friendly, intelligent, and easily potty-trained. To be honest, they’re undeniably adorable, but I still think I’ll stick with my dog.

BUT LET’S NEVER SAY NEVER.

23. Tayra

Meet the Tayra, a relative of the weasel. Although they may look like the bastard lovechild of a Honey Badger and a Tasmanian Devil, two pets that nobody should ever want, the Tayra is relatively tame and friendly with humans. Some people in South America have already been keeping them as housepets to ward off rodents. But listen to the dude in the video: they belong in the forest. Keep them there!

22. Campbell’s Dwarf Hamster

I personally owned a Campbell’s Dwarf Hamster as a tween. He was a vicious critter — possibly the only truly sociopath pet I’ve owned, aside from General Woundwort, the murderous bunny. Just skip to 1.01 on that video.

I’ve had two dogs rescue me as a kid: once from a drowning, and once when I fell out of a tree. What did that dratted rodent do? He attacked anyone who came near his cage, and if you dared to open it, he flew out like a furry facehugger. It was genuinely traumatic.

18. Finlayson's Squirrel

17. Fat-Tailed Gerbil

16. African Pygmy Mouse

Sure, this mouse is kinda cute. But if an axe-wielding maniac comes flying through my window in the middle of the night, who’s going to have my back? Not this tiny mouse. He’d be through the mousehole in a hot minute, only pausing to steal some leftover cheese before hightailing it to freedom. My toothless Spaniel might just lick said axe-wielding maniac, but still.

15. Red-Necked Wallaby

Don’t mind me as I take my wallaby for a quick jaunt around the dog park. What’s this? He just punched a Labrador in the nose and bounced over the fence on a hoppy rampage? No caca — it’s A KANGAROO, FOR PETE’S SAKE.

Okay, sorry. It’s a wallaby. According to those who have pet wallabies, they’re great pets. I’ll take your word for it. Here’s a photograph of a kangaroo punching a man so hard his camera flew off.

12. Bactrian Camel

11. Swamp Wallaby

Found in Queensland, Australia, the Swamp Wallaby eats basically everything, including shrubs, bushes, and even fungi. Sure, you can share a salad with your furry friend — but you might want to do so at your own risk.